Lawrence County, Arkansas

Lawrence County
Lawrence County
County
	Lawrence County Courthouse
	Location within the U.S. state of Arkansas
	Arkansas's location within the U.S.
	Coordinates: 36°01′50″N 91°06′47″W / 36.030555555556°N 91.113055555556°W
Country	United States
State	Arkansas
Founded	January 15, 1815
Named for	James Lawrence
Seat	Walnut Ridge
Largest city	Walnut Ridge
Area
• Total	592 sq mi (1,530 km2)
• Land	588 sq mi (1,520 km2)
• Water	4.7 sq mi (12 km2) 0.8%
Population (2020)
• Total	16,216
• Density	27/sq mi (11/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	1st
Website	www.lawrencecountyarkansas.com

Lawrence County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 16,216.^[1] The county seat is Walnut Ridge.^[2] Lawrence County is Arkansas's second county, formed on January 15, 1815, and named for Captain James Lawrence who fought in the War of 1812.^[3] It is an alcohol prohibition or dry county.

History

Following the Louisiana Purchase, the area currently encompassing Lawrence County was contained within the Louisiana Territory from 1805 to 1812, and the Missouri Territory from 1812 until the creation of Arkansas Territory in 1819. While the southern portion of Missouri Territory began to be settled, Lawrence County was created on January 15, 1815, from New Madrid County and Arkansas County. The large area spanned from Cape Girardeau County to the Arkansas River.^[4]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 592 square miles (1,530 km²), of which 588 square miles (1,520 km²) is land and 4.7 square miles (12 km²) (0.8%) is water.^[5]

Adjacent counties

Randolph County (north)
Greene County (east)
Craighead County (southeast)
Jackson County (south)
Independence County (southwest)
Sharp County (west)

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1830	2,806		—
1840	2,835		1.0%
1850	5,274		86.0%
1860	9,372		77.7%
1870	5,981		−36.2%
1880	8,782		46.8%
1890	12,984		47.8%
1900	16,491		27.0%
1910	20,001		21.3%
1920	22,098		10.5%
1930	21,663		−2.0%
1940	22,651		4.6%
1950	21,303		−6.0%
1960	17,267		−18.9%
1970	16,320		−5.5%
1980	18,447		13.0%
1990	17,457		−5.4%
2000	17,774		1.8%
2010	17,415		−2.0%
2020	16,216		−6.9%
2023 (est.)	16,318	^[6]	0.6%
U.S. Decennial Census^[7] 1790–1960^[8] 1900–1990^[9] 1990–2000^[10] 2010^[11]

2020 census

Lawrence County racial composition^[13]
Race	Number	Percentage
White (non-Hispanic)	14,925	92.04%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	138	0.85%
Native American	41	0.25%
Asian	38	0.23%
Pacific Islander	10	0.06%
Other/Mixed	707	4.36%
Hispanic or Latino	357	2.2%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 16,216 people, 6,463 households, and 4,466 families residing in the county.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census,^[14] there were 17,774 people, 7,108 households, and 5,011 families residing in the county. The population density was 30 people per square mile (12 people/km²). There were 8,085 housing units at an average density of 14 units per square mile (5.4 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.78% White, 0.44% Black or African American, 0.57% Native American, 0.05% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.12% from other races, and 1.02% from two or more races. 0.68% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 7,108 households, out of which 30.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.70% were married couples living together, 9.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.50% were non-families. 26.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.92.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.00% under the age of 18, 9.60% from 18 to 24, 25.90% from 25 to 44, 23.20% from 45 to 64, and 17.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 93.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.40 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $27,139, and the median income for a family was $32,163. Males had a median income of $26,288 versus $18,518 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,785. About 13.90% of families and 18.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.50% of those under age 18 and 20.10% of those age 65 or over.

Government

United States presidential election results for Lawrence County, Arkansas^[15]
Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
Year	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	4,569	78.01%	1,080	18.44%	208	3.55%
2016	4,064	71.49%	1,263	22.22%	358	6.30%
2012	3,536	63.83%	1,788	32.27%	216	3.90%
2008	3,357	57.58%	2,138	36.67%	335	5.75%
2004	2,951	44.61%	3,544	53.58%	120	1.81%
2000	2,626	43.48%	3,255	53.89%	159	2.63%
1996	1,823	29.69%	3,652	59.47%	666	10.85%
1992	2,124	30.65%	4,146	59.84%	659	9.51%
1988	3,205	49.91%	3,179	49.51%	37	0.58%
1984	4,039	60.50%	2,594	38.86%	43	0.64%
1980	3,245	46.60%	3,547	50.94%	171	2.46%
1976	1,708	24.82%	5,167	75.08%	7	0.10%
1972	3,981	69.45%	1,751	30.55%	0	0.00%
1968	1,788	28.77%	1,613	25.96%	2,813	45.27%
1964	2,013	36.35%	3,498	63.16%	27	0.49%
1960	1,800	44.28%	2,074	51.02%	191	4.70%
1956	1,584	40.12%	2,303	58.33%	61	1.55%
1952	1,570	40.84%	2,206	57.39%	68	1.77%
1948	497	18.60%	2,001	74.89%	174	6.51%
1944	927	33.83%	1,810	66.06%	3	0.11%
1940	852	25.36%	2,484	73.93%	24	0.71%
1936	457	16.91%	2,230	82.50%	16	0.59%
1932	293	8.58%	3,056	89.54%	64	1.88%
1928	774	39.03%	1,204	60.72%	5	0.25%
1924	261	23.18%	689	61.19%	176	15.63%
1920	699	28.72%	1,686	69.27%	49	2.01%
1916	298	14.87%	1,706	85.13%	0	0.00%
1912	218	15.15%	929	64.56%	292	20.29%
1908	583	31.79%	1,188	64.78%	63	3.44%
1904	534	42.41%	672	53.38%	53	4.21%
1900	476	32.96%	958	66.34%	10	0.69%
1896	337	16.42%	1,679	81.78%	37	1.80%

Townships

Townships in Arkansas are the divisions of a county. Each township includes unincorporated areas; some may have incorporated cities or towns within part of their boundaries. Arkansas townships have limited purposes in modern times. However, the United States census does list Arkansas population based on townships (sometimes referred to as "county subdivisions" or "minor civil divisions"). Townships are also of value for historical purposes in terms of genealogical research. Each town or city is within one or more townships in an Arkansas county based on census maps and publications. The townships of Lawrence County are listed below; listed in parentheses are the cities, towns, and/or census-designated places that are fully or partially inside the township. ^[16]^[17]